Many times when a user attempts to access a web page over a network, such as the Internet, using a web browser, the network returns a message indicating an error that prevents the content of the web page from being displayed. For example, if a web page request is directed to a valid host, but to an invalid Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), the host may return an “error 404: page not found” error message, which may be displayed within an error page. If a web page does not produce a response from the host at the target address, the web browser may display a default message indicating that the requested page cannot be displayed, or may “hang” until the user performs some action.
These and other forms of “page load errors” can occur for various reasons. For example, a URI that is valid at one time may become invalid. In a typical situation, a user may find a web page on the Internet with content to which the user wants to save a link, such as a hyperlink or “bookmark” that includes a reference to the URI of the web page. The publisher of the website hosting the web page may later move either the web page, the entire content of the web page, or portions thereof to another location having a different URI. Furthermore, the content of the web page may also be modified in some way before being incorporated into a new location at the different URI. When the user attempts to access the content using the saved hyperlink, the network may return an “error 404: page not found” error message instead of the web page content. It would be beneficial to provide a method and system for robust hyperlinking that may locate the content of a document, such as a web page, or portions thereof even if such content has been moved or modified.